Questionmark to Provide Test Administration for Norwegian Certifications

For Immediate Release

Questionmark to Provide Test Administration for Norwegian Certifications
ECDL Testing Provider Datakortet Awards Nationwide Contract

LONDON  – September 14, 2005 – Norwegian testing services organisation Datakortet has engaged testing and assessment software provider Questionmark to provide a test centre administration for use at some 400 test centres.

Datakortet administers many exams in Norway, including the European Computer Driving License (ECDL) exam, which tests basic computer skills in seven areas including word processing, spreadsheets and Internet/email. The ECDL is widely used in most European countries as a certificate of competence in information technology. Outside Europe the programme is call the International Computer Driving Licence. The total number of participants enrolled in the program now exceeds 5 million people and an estimated test volume of more than 20 million tests so far.

In addition to providing Questionmark™ Perception™ software for authoring, delivering and reporting on these certifications as well as practice tests, Questionmark will deploy an administration system to schedule tests at multiple centres, regulate retakes, create customised registration screens, check screen resolution and browser viability before tests start, and log in test monitors or proctors for certification exams. The initiative will enable Datakortet’s test centres to:

• Schedule, track and manage millions of online tests for some 150,000 participants, for both proctored (high-stakes) and non-proctored testing
• Track and manage certifications
• Deliver meaningful reports on the results to administrators or participants
• Deliver high-stakes, online assessments securely with Questionmark Secure, a secure browser which protects content and prevents cheating
• Prepare participants for certification with effective practice tests that diagnose knowledge gaps and link to remedial learning.

Questionmark Perception also brings to Datakortet a number of innovative assessment authoring features and question types that range far beyond traditional multiple choice or fill-in-the-blank. For example, Perception makes it easy to rapidly create questions that incorporate Macromedia Captivate and Flash to provide interactive, simulation-based questions ideal for accurate testing for IT application skills. Perception’s role-based security for multi-author, multi-administrator environments combined with workflow management capabilities help make it an ideal platform for developing legally defensible high-stakes assessments. Sample test questions, written in Norwegian, can be found at http://www.questionmark.com/go/datakortet.

“We are delighted to work with Questionmark on this initiative,” said Datakortet CEO Bernt Nilsen. “This new system reflects Datakortet’s ongoing commitment to ensuring that our test centres are equipped with a highly efficient, reliable and secure platform for delivering and managing ECDL testing and other high-and medium- stakes tests.”

“Test centre administration is the logical extension Questionmark Perception’s assessment management capabilities, which is already deployed by thousands of organisations around the world,” added Questionmark President Eric Shepherd. “Our experience with customers who already use Perception to deliver high stakes exams safely and securely will serve us well in assisting Datakortet with this project.”

About Datakortet
Datakortet is a provider of testing services to a large number of testing centres in Norway and is the licensed provider of the ECDL/ICDL to Norway through these centres. They deliver to approximately 400 test centres and administer assessments via web technology both certification (proctored) tests and non-certification (un-proctored) tests. Datakortet was founded by the largest special interest society for information technology (IT) in Norway the Norwegian Computer Society. The company’s website is at http://www.datakortet.no.


About Questionmark
Questionmark has been providing testing and assessment software since 1988, and some 2,500 customers in 50 countries now use Questionmark products. The Questionmark™ Perception™ assessment management system enables educators and trainers to create, securely administer and report on surveys, quizzes, tests and exams. Multiple authors can work together in a distributed learning environment with seamless connections to existing systems and infrastructure. They can create question banks, and then assemble assessments and surveys, organising questions into topics and sub-topics. Participants receive feedback at item, topic, or assessment level. Answers are scored and saved to a database for analysis. Multiple reports provide valuable statistics. Options include a secure browser and proctoring security. Perception applications include pre/post tests, practice quizzes, course evaluations and certification exams. The software can be licensed or used as a hosted solution. Questionmark provides extensive documentation for users of the software in addition to comprehensive learning resources focusing on the effective use of assessments. Complete details are available at http://www.questionmark.com.

Top of page